How to get and use a free gun lock in Tennessee

During the legislative special session in August, the General Assembly passed legislation to make sure that every Tennessean could procure a free gun lock. This was something the state’s Department of Safety and Homeland Security was already doing. But with new funding for marketing, it is expected to be advertised to more Tennesseans.

Eventually, the Department of Safety will have instructions on its website about how residents can request free firearm locks, as well as a public media campaign dedicated to safe firearm storage.

Until then, here are the steps WPLN News took to obtain a gun lock through the state.

1. Find your local Tennessee Highway Patrol office. Look for a center in your city or county.
   
2. Once you arrive at the location, simply ask for your free gun lock.

The locks don’t come with instructions. So, we’ve also included those.

1. Empty the gun of any ammunition: make sure the chamber is empty, take out the magazine if it has one.
2. Thread the cable lock through the gun: you will have to be sure to rack the slide to keep the chamber open. The cable is then threaded through the chamber and down through the magazine.
3.  Lock the cable lock: insert the end you’ve threaded through the gun into the lock and turn the key.